250 hp Cat vs. Cat 3126
- Thread starter Larry
- Start date
The 3126 is made like many other engines in various HP ratings from around 175 up to 300. 250 is a popular rating for it. I have been preaching for many years now to avoid it and other "parent bore" engines for high-mile highway use. The 3126 CAT is the most expensive parent bore engine on the market to rebuild or replace, by a big margin. It's lacking a bit in displacement too for D unit use at 7.2 liters. But, in its defense, I have seen some babied examples of it go past the 600k mile mark, which is good for a parent. The trouble comes if you want to keep a 3126 equipped truck past 500k miles. This is where one would be better off with a wet-sleeved engine. Wet sleeve engines have cylinder liners that can be removed and replaced with the engine left on the truck frame, and a typical wet-sleeve rebuild usually costs between $4-7k. Common wet sleeve engines used in expedite trucks are Cummins C8.3/ISC or M11/ISM, DDC Series 50/60, CAT C10-12, International DT466.
CAT 3126's can be rebuilt (many think they can't) but the rebuild cost is usually close to the cost of a replacement engine. Ready for the cost of a new 3126? Between $13-15K with labor. Now one can see where after 500K miles on the truck it is definitely something that has to be budgeted for.
Don't panic if your 3126 blows up though. There are a lot of truck parts yards out there. One would be better off finding a low mile used 3126 from a wrecked up truck than replacing a worn out one. If a comparable engine is found, the swap could be done for $4-5K.
-Weave-
CAT 3126's can be rebuilt (many think they can't) but the rebuild cost is usually close to the cost of a replacement engine. Ready for the cost of a new 3126? Between $13-15K with labor. Now one can see where after 500K miles on the truck it is definitely something that has to be budgeted for.
Don't panic if your 3126 blows up though. There are a lot of truck parts yards out there. One would be better off finding a low mile used 3126 from a wrecked up truck than replacing a worn out one. If a comparable engine is found, the swap could be done for $4-5K.
-Weave-